The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Poinsettia plant, botanically known as Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd., and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘PER5499’.
The new Poinsettia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Encinitas, Calif. The objective of the breeding program is to create new early flowering Poinsettia cultivars having strong stems, attractive flower bract coloration, uniform plant habit and excellent post-production longevity.
The new Poinsettia is a naturally-occurring branch mutation of the Poinsettia cultivar Eckaykin (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,326). The new Poinsettia was discovered and selected by the Inventor in a controlled environment in Encinitas, Calif. on Dec. 31, 2000. The new Poinsettia was selected on the basis its unique flower bract coloration.
Asexual reproduction of the new Poinsettia by terminal cuttings propagated in a controlled environment in Encinitas, Calif., since February, 2001, has shown that the unique features of this new Poinsettia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.